


Are Your Snapdragons Flirting With Me?

by AsagiStilinski



Series: Pridecember 2019 [5]
Category: Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Monsters (Anime & Manga)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Flower Shop, Alternate Universe - Flower Shop & Tattoo Parlor, Alternate Universe - Tattoo Parlor, Alternate Universe - Witchcraft, Flowers, Fluff, Fluff and Humor, Humor, Language of Flowers, M/M, Meet-Cute, Plants, Pridecember, Punk, Tattoos, Witchcraft, Witches
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-05
Updated: 2019-12-05
Packaged: 2021-02-25 23:40:42
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,867
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21713932
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AsagiStilinski/pseuds/AsagiStilinski
Summary: Seto Kaiba has put alot of work into establishing a good customer basis for his flower shop, now he's worried that his new neighbor, the punk running the tattoo parlor nextdoor, is going to ruin everything.....He just doesn't expect the punk to ruinhim
Relationships: Atem/Kaiba Seto
Series: Pridecember 2019 [5]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1560421
Comments: 2
Kudos: 42





	Are Your Snapdragons Flirting With Me?

**Author's Note:**

> Day five of Pridecember- "Roses"

There was a punk nextdoor

Seto was irritated by his very presence

He had done everything right when he chose the location for his business

He had placed it in the perfect juncture between being busy enough to draw in customers but not so busy that the place was in the center of noise pollution or bad crowds

He had spent the last five years building a very particular type of clientele, loyal customers and new faces alike

Ofcourse as part of being a florist, he saw all types of people, day in and day out, everyone bought flowers after all, even if they weren't "flower people" like his loyalists were, he still got plenty of people who only stopped in to get flowers as gifts for loved ones or to place an order for a funeral or a wedding or something

But that never changed the fact that Seto had the perfect atmosphere around him- a bakery on one side, with the sweet smell of pastries wafting towards his shop, and a used bookstore across the street, attracting nerds and bookworms and the elderly- quiet people who may stop in for some flowers from time to time but more importantly weren't a bother

The space directly next to him had been empty for the past year, with the four years prior having housed an accountant's office

It was far from what Seto would call a "perfect fit" but it wasn't all that bad, it was quiet, the accountant didn't bother anyone, better to have something insignificant nextdoor than something disruptive

...

And "something disruptive" was exactly what had recently moved in

A tattoo parlor

A fucking _tattoo parlor_!!

Those things were terrible enough in places like the U.S. where tattoos were generally acceptable, but in Japan, where people with tattoos still couldn't get certain jobs, attend certain schools, or even go in certain businesses, Seto was positive that the _punk_ nextdoor was attracting nothing and no one but negative attention

Probably mostly yakuza, wich, despite the popularizing positive attention the gangs were getting, Seto was absolutely not a fan of

He was surprised that the tattoo parlor was even getting so much attention- wich it definitely was, he had been watching it, he had seen enough people pass right by his flower shop in favor of that place- but evidently young people these days really did have different opinions on things like body art than the older generations

Seto, as a twenty-three-year-old, was potentially a traitor to his generation, but he didn't care

As if all this wasn't enough, he had seen the punk responsible for that place and _dear god_

Seto didn't even know how to _describe_ the bastard

He was... he was...................... infuriatingly _gorgeous_ if Seto was really being completely honest

Short with dark copper skin and angular features, tri-colored spiky hair and always dressed in something that made him look like he was either part of a rock band or a BDSM club, with leather and chains and spikes, and the _tattoos_...

Seto had never seen more skin than the guy's bare arms but even _those_ were absolutely covered, both biceps and the inside of both arms too, and he even had _peircings_ , three in each ear, a ring in his upper lip, and double eyebrow peircings over each brow, sort of like shark bite peircings but over the brow, not the lip

Seto had a feeling his body modifications were hardly done

He was unreasonably gorgeous and Seto was _pissed_

So for six weeks, Seto watched from his flower shop as The Punk- who's name he didn't know- walked back and forth, to and from work, occasionally greeting customers outside, and Seto became more and more irritated with the entire thing

The flowers seemed to have noticed, with a generally more aggressive attitude having woven it's way through the majority of his plants

Even the usually gentle ones had become more irritable lately...

And then, as if things weren't already tough enough, the bastard actually came into the store one day, and everything changed

"Come on, don't be that way," Seto sighed as he drizzled water over the snapdragons in the pot next to him

They didn't seem to want to drink- or have anything to do with Seto at all really- and Seto was under the impression that it had to do with his mood

The thing about being a Green Witch was that plants reacted to your moods far more than anyone should ever reasonably want, and due to Seto's less than stellar attitude lately the plants were all giving him a hard time

Fucking great....

The bell over the door of his shop rang and Seto straightened up a little, greeting the customer with his standard "Welcome to Dragon's Rose, let me know if I can assist you with anything," in his usual flat monotone, before he actually turned to look at the customer.... and all of the blood drained out of his face

_It was The Punk_

The Punk was standing in his flower shop

There was a pot of blossoming gardenias behind him that suddenly bloomed all at once

Seto wished they would shut up

"Hello there," The Punk greeted with a warm smile, his voice far deeper than Seto had ever imagined it being

"I'd love some assistance actually, I'm looking for a very particular type of flower,"

"And that would be...?"

Striding over to the counter, The Punk leaned over and rested his elbows on it, face in his palms, an almost flirtatious expression playing over his peirced lips

"Well you see I've become quite smitten with someone, but we've yet to meet, I wish to express my affections in flowers, do you know how I could do that?"

"Flower language," Seto replied immediately, trying to nurse the sore spot that had suddenly started to bloom in his veins over the fact that apparently The Punk was interested in someone

He didn't know why he cared, it wasn't like he _liked _The Punk or anything__

__(In the background, the snapdragons started rustling, as if to poke holes in that theory of his or taunt him for being so dishonest with himself)_ _

__"I... sort of figured that much, I was just hoping you could direct me to something more specific," The Punk said with a low chuckle_ _

__Oh_ _

__"Well... I'll need to know a little bit more about this person... and about how you feel for her," he replied, clearing his throat_ _

__The Punk bit his lower lip, sucking on it, making Seto wonder distantly what it would look like if he had studs in his bottom lip, the way his tongue might play with those, might... play with other things-..._ _

__The pot of coral roses off to the side of the counter suddenly burst open like he had poured a growth serum on them_ _

___Traitors_ _ _

__"Actually..." The Punk said slowly, his eyes down, fingers toying with one of his wristbands, a more shy look on his face as he finally looked back up at Seto_ _

__"I'm not interested in a _her_ ,"_ _

__Belatedly, Seto's own eyes flicked down to glance at the wristband The Punk had been playing with and read the rainbow colored letters sprawled across it_ _

___Let's get one thing straight- I'm not_ _ _

__....._ _

___Oh_ _ _

__Now Seto's face was almost as pink as the roses...._ _

__"Then.... him?"_ _

__The Punk's lips twitched up- _bingo__ _

__"Well... to start with, you're probably going to want to add green carnations to whatever bouquet you choose, they.. represent male homosexuality,"_ _

__"Mmm but I'm not _gay_ , I'm _pan_ , does it still count?" The Punk asked curiously, head tilting to the side_ _

__"Still counts, perhaps 'homosexuality' is the wrong term then- males attracted to other males,"_ _

__"Ah..."_ _

__"Men in America, in the 1920s, used to wear them on their lapels to attract other men, just like women used to wear violets,"_ _

__"That's actually really cool," The Punk smiled_ _

__Ahh.... his smile... it was like blossoming sunflowers, warm and bright and sweet..._ _

__Seto's face was turning redder_ _

__"It is, people use flowers to communicate alot more than people tend to think,"_ _

__"Oh? I would love to learn about it more some time,"_ _

__"You.... would....?"_ _

__"Sure, I love flowers," The Punk replied, holding his arm out and showing off a beautifull pattern of tattoos on the inside of his forearm_ _

__"See? Blue Lotus, in ancient Egypt it represented life, rebirth, and the sun,"_ _

__Seto could very clearly see that_ _

__There was a very prominent blue lotus in the center of the tattoo, beneath a sun, and something that looked like hieroglyphics with red poppies woven through it_ _

__"I see... and the poppies?"_ _

__"Remembrance," The Punk explained quietly, his expression warming to something of a gentler, more bittersweet look_ _

__"This is my mother's name, Amunet, in hieroglyphics, she passed away when I was very young so... this was my first tattoo,"_ _

__...Oh...._ _

__Seto kind of felt... _bad_ now, for having judged the tattoos so quickly..._ _

__"Do they all mean something?"_ _

__"They do!" The Punk beamed- sunflowers, a few feet away, straightened up in their pot, as if rising to attention_ _

__"Don't get me wrong, I'm very supportive of body modification for the sake of art, hell that's what alot of my peircings are for, but I always get ink with meaning personally, so.. you have my mother's memorium, then right above it is the lotus and sun, to represent rebirth, my beleif that I'll see her again, then above that is my name in hieroglyphics to honor my culture, along with a few other important symbols peppered through the peice like an ankh- the symbol of life- and the scarab- immortality and protection, connecting my mother's name to mine, then there's my name in kanji on my wrist to honor my new home," he explained, taking off one of his spiked leather wrist cuffs to show off the kanji he was talking about_ _

__And that was just _one_ arm, the tattoo for Atem's mother being on his inner forearm and weaving up to connect to the hieroglyphics on his bicep_ _

__He hadn't even gotten the chance to look at the other one yet..._ _

__"That's... incredible..." Seto admitted with a bit of awe in his tone_ _

__Clearly The Punk was satisfied with that_ _

__"What _is_ your name anyway? You have it written on your arm twice but you haven't told me what it is,"_ _

__The Punk opened his mouth to answer, but didn't get a chance, the bell over the door rang again_ _

__One of his most loyal customers was in the doorway, a bright beaming smile on his face_ _

__The snowdrops in the corner perked, as was typical of them when someone who had winter magic was near, and as the Ice Faery had just danced in..._ _

__"Seto!! Do you have my order ready?"_ _

__At this point, Seto was too tired of trying to correct the foreigner to use his last name to bother anymore_ _

__Figured, westerners always stumbled with things like that, although Seto was half sure that the guy did it on purpose to "be freindly"_ _

__"Two dozen red and violet roses, and three dozen blue roses, plus the two blue rose crowns, yes, your order is ready,"_ _

__"Super! Thank you!" he chirped with excitement_ _

__Seto turned his attention back to The Punk, face blank_ _

__"Sorry, I'll be back in a moment,"_ _

__He didn't give the other man a chance to answer before heading into the back and gathering the stupidly large order_ _

__He knew the guy was a fashion designer- and a truly disgustingly romantic one at that- but over five dozen roses was a bit much even for him..._ _

__He sighed as he loaded the water filled buckets the roses were in onto a cart and pushed it through the back, seeing that the customer had left his trunk open just for this occasion and loading the flowers into it before securing them and shutting the trunk lid, then heading back into the shop_ _

__"-come in every month on the fourth and get a dozen red roses for true love and a dozen purple ones for love at first sight as an anniversary gift for my husband! We met on April fourth two years ago you see, the blue roses are my signature for my fashion line! I'm having a show tommorrow and all of the models will be wearing them in various patterns and designs- and ofcourse my Yuri and I will be wearing matching crowns!"_ _

__Oh great, now he was talking to The Punk_ _

__"Wow, that sounds amazing... I didn't know blue roses were even a thing..." The Punk mused softly_ _

__"Ah, well, they're very special, they can only be grown by Flower Faeries or Green Witches like Seto! They represent mystery and obtaining the impossible, some say they _also_ represent love at first sight, and so it was always the perfect flower for me to choose to represent my fashion with, and then when I met my husband...." he paused, heaving a dramatic sigh_ _

__"He gave me blue roses on our first date.... he came to this very shop to get them, isn't that the most amazing thing you've ever heard?"_ _

__"That's a beautifull story," The Punk replied with a warm smile_ _

__Seto was _scandalized__ _

__How could the stupid faery just blurt out information like that?!_ _

__The Punk was probably HUMAN!_ _

__Although given his reaction... maybe not, he didn't exactly seem surprised by what the faery said so... maybe the foreigner hadn't actually made that big of a mistake..._ _

__"I know," the faery swooned, finally noting Seto's presence- and his less than pleased demeanor- and beaming as he paid in cash for the flowers_ _

__"Well I have to get going, but it was nice meeting you!! Perhaps I'll come to your parlor sometime! Yuri and I have been thinking about getting matching tattoos, I just have to finish convincing him~"_ _

__The Punk laughed, clearly more amused by the faery than anything else_ _

__"Alright, I'll see you sometime then Viktor," The Punk waved politely as the silver-haired faery headed out of the shop with a peppy _"Dosvedanya~"_ over his shoulder_ _

__........._ _

__Well then_ _

__"So, you're part of the community huh?"_ _

__The Punk glanced back at Seto and grinned, holding his arm out to Seto- the opposite from the one he had examined before_ _

__"You didn't notice these huh?"_ _

__Oh..._ _

__If The Punk's right arm was dedicated to his nationality and culture, then his left was dedicated to his religion and magical practices..._ _

__His left arm was filled with magical symbols, from pentagrams to the Triple Goddess to little sprigs of Witch Hazel, among other things_ _

__"Ah.... what kind of witch?" Seto asked curiously_ _

__"Hedge Witch, and also a Hereditary Witch,"_ _

__Wow..._ _

__Seto couldn't remember the last time he'd spoken to a Hedge Witch, but he admired them quite a bit, they tended to be quite talented people_ _

__"Alot of my hereditary magic is strictly Egyptian though, I'm very happy to be able to learn new types of things now that I'm in Japan,"_ _

__"I can imagine so,"_ _

__Seto himself enjoyed learning magic and magical technique from other cultures too, so he could identify with that_ _

__"So, blue roses huh? You grow those?" The Punk asked curiously_ _

__"I do, I'm very fond of them,"_ _

__"Are you? Would you say that they're your favorite?"_ _

__"I would say so yes," Seto replied with a nod as he grabbed a pitcher of water to sprinkle over the chrysanthemums behind him_ _

__"I enjoy being able to create something that few others can, and the symbolism is good too, snapdragons are a close second though,"_ _

__"Oh? What do snapdragons mean?"_ _

__"Grace, strength, and deviousness, but it isn't really the meanings I care for so much, I prefer them because of their personality,"_ _

__"Personality?" The Punk asked curiously_ _

__Seto's lips ticked up into a smirk, setting the pitcher down and crossing over to gently run his fingertips beneath the bottom petals of a few snapdragons, similar to how one may scratch the chin of their pet_ _

__The flowers twitched a little, but anyone who wasn't a Green Witch would probably fail to notice it_ _

__Seto, however, was very well aware of them and what they were trying to communicate_ _

__"Just like animals and people, all plants have personalities, but it takes someone who's familiar with their language to understand them,"_ _

__"Like a Green Witch," The Punk noted_ _

__"Exactly like a Green Witch," Seto nodded with a small smirk_ _

__"I see, so what kind of personality do snapdragons tend to have?"_ _

__"Bold, communicative, stubborn, and.... if you earn their favor, they can be very freindly,"_ _

__"Amazing," The Punk grinned, his eyes seeming to catch on the clock on the wall a second later and frowning instantly_ _

__"I'm sorry Seto, I didn't realize how late it was, I have an appointment in five minutes... I have to go, I'll see you later though? And I promise we'll finish this discussion,"_ _

__Before Seto could possibly stop him, The Punk had run out of the shop and, presumably, back to his own, an annoyed frown ticking against the brunette's lips in the process_ _

__He could swear he heard the snapdragon snickering at him_ _

__

__~+~_ _

__

__When Seto came back to the shop the next morning, he was surprised- more than surprised- to find an enormous bouquet of flowers sitting on the counter, wrapped in tissue papper, with a card attached_ _

___Seto, I hope these flowers were appropriate enough to convey my message, if so, please come by at any time -Atem_ _ _

__Atem..._ _

__Seto didn't recognize the name, but it wasn't hard to figure out who had delivered the flowers_ _

__Bundles of blue roses and a few violet ones sat on the counter, with snapdragons and green carnations peppered through the arrangement, and a few jonquil and orchid out around the edges_ _

__It was a beautifull arrangement, and wrapped in his shop's papper too_ _

__..._ _

__Plus there was really only one type of person who could get in and out of a locked shop without being noticed, just short of it being a cat burglar, and he was fairly certain that nothing had been stolen, meaning the culprit was more than likely a Hedge Witch_ _

__And Seto only knew one of those...._ _

__

__~+~_ _

__

__"Ya' really think he'll like it?"_ _

__"I think he'll adore it," Atem promised as he dipped the needle into the red ink once more and went back to the tattoo he was coloring_ _

__"Good, 'cause this shit hurts!"_ _

__"I know it does," Atem laughed with a grn_ _

__"Fuck, how'd ya' ever stand gettin' peirced anyway?"_ _

__"Oh I learned to live with it,"_ _

__"More like he's a masochist so pain doesn't really bother him,"_ _

__Snickering a little, Atem glanced up breifly at the other artist, working a few feet away on a girl getting her back done_ _

__"Well, Marik's not wrong...."_ _

__"I thought ya' were more of a sadist..." his client grumbled, clearly trying not to flinch as the needles pummeled into his skin_ _

__"Oh I'm definitely that too, can't a guy like both?"_ _

__"I dunno, I ain't too into either,"_ _

__"Yugi clearly hasn't _unlocked your potential_ yet then, but I'm sure once he sees your new tattoo, Jo, he'll be more than willing,"_ _

__"Ya' know I ain't gettin' this to get laid right?"_ _

__"I know, why would you do that when you two have already been at it for so long?"_ _

__The blonde, by this point, was already more red than the ink in Atem's gun_ _

__The Hedge Witch was close to laughing, wich would really be inappropriate, but Joey was a freind, and Atem wasn't all that concerned with it_ _

__The bell over the door to the shop rang and he resisted the urge to look up and see who it was- he had a feeling he already knew anyway_ _

__"Welcome to Millennium Tattoos, do you have an appointment?" Ryou's voice rang through the small studio_ _

__"No, I'm here to see Atem,"_ _

__"Ah, I'm afraid he's with a client at the moment..."_ _

__"It's alright Ryou, I'm expecting him," Atem called back over his shoulder, finally finishing the red detailing of the tattoo and pulling the needle gun away from Joey's skin, much to the blonde's clear releif_ _

__"Seto, nice to see you again," he smiled as he allowed himself to peek over at the tall brunette, who seemed to be holding something behind his back as he strode closer to the artist_ _

__"You left the flowers, didn't you?"_ _

__"Mm, the ones in your shop? I did, how'd you figure it out?" Atem teased back_ _

__"You weren't exactly subtle, did my brother help you with those?"_ _

__"He did, as a matter of fact, I went in last evening to see you again but you had already stepped out for an errand, Mokuba and I got to talking and determined that you would enjoy the arrangement the way I presented it to you,"_ _

__"I-... thank you, they're lovely,"_ _

__Atem grinned a little more, grabbing the blue ink next_ _

__"I'm glad to hear it, so.... what's your response then? I left you jonquil, that was meant as a question,"_ _

__Seto responded by moving his hand out from behind his back and offering Atem a single ambrosia flower_ _

__"Mokuba said you might respond like this," Atem smiled back fondly, biting his lip a little_ _

__"I'm afraid I can't physically accept it right now though..." he noted, holding his gloved hands up to show the smattering of ink and blood that currently spotted the black latex_ _

__"..Right, then... I'll wait here until you can," Seto decided with determination_ _

__Mokuba was handling the shop so it should be fine, and how much longer could a tattoo take that was already mostly colored in?_ _

__"How much longer will you be?"_ _

__"Another hour or two,"_ _

__Oh, _that_ long apparently_ _

__"..Alright then," he decided, having already committed to sticking around and not wanting to go back on his word, he moved to sit in one of the empty chairs behind him and twirling the ambrosia between his fingers_ _

__He wanted to see Atem work anyway, so this actually would be quite a nice excuse to stick around_ _

__"How long would it take for you to do a dragon tattoo?" Seto asked curiously as the buzz of the tattoo gun started up again_ _

__"That's.... an _extremely_ broad question, but I can promise you that tattoos are never quick, not good ones atleast,"_ _

__"I'll keep that in mind,"_ _

__"Are you thinking of getting one?"_ _

__"I am, actually,"_ _

__Atem's lips ticked up, glancing over his shoulder at Seto breifly as he moved back to work on finishing Joey's tattoo_ _

__"Then perhaps we can discuss it over dinner? Maybe I could make a dragon out of snapdragon patterns,"_ _

__Seto's expression warmed, the idea actually sounded really... marvelous..._ _

__"I think I'd like that,"_ _

__"Perfect, we can get ice cream after too, I've become a real ice cream addict since getting my tongue peirced a few months ago,"_ _

__Wherever Seto's thoughts had been going before.... they abruptly halted_ _

__"...You have a tongue peircing?"_ _

__"Yep~" Atem practically purred, trying to hold back a laugh at the strained sound of Seto's voice_ _

__......._ _

__Maybe punks weren't so bad after all..._ _

**Author's Note:**

> Flower meanings in order of appearance, excluding those explained in the fic:
> 
> Gardenias: "Secret love"  
> Coral Roses: "Desire/sexual attraction"  
> Red Poppies, along with representing remembrance, were a funerary flower in ancient Egypt  
> Sunflower: "Pure thoughts, longevity, adoration, loyalty"  
> Snowdrop: "Hope"  
> Witch Hazel: "Magic/witchcraft"  
> Orchid: "Refined beauty"  
> Jonquil: "Return my affection"  
> Ambrosia: "Love is reciprocated"


End file.
